This invention relates generally to packaging systems and, more particularly, to shipping medical substances.
Biotechnology and medical research have led to the development of new medical substances which require extensive testing and verification. Often, the research facilities are located at different locations other than the testing or verification facilities. Accordingly, the medical substances must be transported between various locations. In order to protect the public and to ensure that the substances are safely transported from one location to another, intricate packaging systems are used to ensure that the substances do not escape into the environment. Current packaging systems rely on an absorbent material or fill to help prevent leakage, and thus virtually concede that some amount of spillage will occur during shipping. Accordingly, a separate liquid tight container must also be used to ensure that none of the leakage escapes to the environment. Additionally, once the absorbent material or fill is contaminated with the medical substance, an additional disposal problem is created. As a result, packaging systems in use today are typically very complicated and expensive.
In an exemplary embodiment, a packaging system includes a packaging container which houses an absorbent pad and a protective wrap. The packaging container includes a hollow elongate vessel and a lid which secures to the vessel to form an air tight seal. The vessel includes a plurality of locking tabs which engage a plurality of tab receptacles positioned within the lid. The locking tabs are constructed of a number of different members and are tapered such that as the lid is secured, the lid and vessel are forced together. The protective wrap surrounds the medical substance during shipment and limits the movement of the medical substance within the vessel. The wrapped medical substance is stored inside the vessel on the absorbent pad which absorbs any leakage within the vessel.
The lid is secured to the vessel without the use of any external hardware and the packaging container is then placed within an insulator. The insulator includes a die-cut opening which conforms to the exterior shape of the vessel, and therefore, the vessel fits snuggly within the die-cut opening. The outer surface of the insulator is sized to fit snuggly within the shipping container. The insulator provides shock-absorbency to the vessel and prohibits the packaging container from shifting within the shipping container during shipment. Additionally, the use of the insulator provides for variations in the shape of the packaging container. As a result, the packaging system eliminates more costly and complicated known packaging systems and provides a system that is highly reliable and cost-effective.